If I’m the only person wearing a mask in a store or other indoor location, am I really protected from infection? It’s true that masks work best when everyone in the room is wearing one. And when fewer viral particles are floating around the room, the masks others are wearing would likely block those that have escaped. But there is also plenty of evidence showing that masks protect the wearer even when others around them are mask-free. And a Tennessee study found that communities with mask mandates had lower hospitalization rates than areas where masks weren’t required.

Source: New York Times September 21, 2021 17:26 UTC